SEO Tools
Among the many tools for search engine optimization are platforms and apps that monitor competitors, identify keywords, analyze Google’s search result pages, review changes in organic rankings, evaluate backlink quality, and much more. Our coverage also recommends tools based on the experiences of our contributors.
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SEO Tools
3 Keyword Tools for Search Intent
May 12, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Optimizing content for organic rankings requires knowing how Google will interpret searchers' intent — informational, commercial, or navigational.
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SEO Tools
Free SEO Tools for Do-it-yourself Analysis
May 5, 2022 • Ann Smarty
The ability to fix basic SEO glitches can save time and money. Here are five free tools to help.
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SEO Tools
SEO: How to Super Search with Advanced Operators
April 21, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Specialized search queries can help identify missing keywords, specific content, competitors, and much more. Here are 18 essential "operators" with examples.
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SEO Tools
SEO: Using Wayback Machine, Google Cache
April 14, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Wayback Machine and Google's cache have important SEO benefits. The former helps monitor changes to competitors' pages. The latter confirms Google's assessment of a page. We explain.
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SEO Tools
How to Diagnose Organic Traffic Losses Using Search Console
March 17, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Diagnosing a loss in organic search traffic starts with identifying the affected queries and pages. Search Console can do that and more. We explain in this terrific tutorial.
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SEO Tools
How Google Trends Improves SEO
March 3, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Google Trends and autocomplete both use data from actual searches. But unlike autocomplete, Trends is not personalized or filtered. It's a valuable source of keyword optimization opportunities.
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SEO Tools
SEO Tools from Google and Bing
February 17, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Many independent tools emulate the behavior of search engine crawlers. But the best tools come from the search engines themselves: Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
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SEO Tools
My Favorite SEO Keyword Tools
February 3, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Keyword research is knowing what consumers are searching for and their words to describe those items. Contributor Ann Smarty lists her go-to tools, with explanations.
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SEO Tools
SEO: 6 Critical Search Console Reports
January 20, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Google Search Console provides essential tools to improve traffic from organic search. The data comes from the source: Google itself. Here are six reports to monitor frequently.
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SEO Tools
3 Ways Google’s Search Console Improves Organic Clicks
November 25, 2021 • Ann Smarty
Google's Search Console is one of the most helpful search-engine-optimization tools. Moreover, Search Console provides data straight from the source: Google. It is also free. Here are three ways to use Search Console to generate more clicks from your organic listings.
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SEO Tools
16 Tools to Manage Your Reputation
July 20, 2021 • Sig Ueland
Reputation management is essential for any brand. Your company's future may depend on what’s been said about it in posts, comments, reviews, and rankings. Fortunately, there are affordable tools to help. Here is a list of tools to manage your brand’s reputation.
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SEO Tools
12 Tools for YouTube Search Optimization
April 12, 2021 • Sig Ueland
YouTube is the second most visited website, after Google. Success on YouTube requires compelling videos, but it’s equally important to optimize them. Fortunately, there are tools to help. Here is a list of tools to optimize your video content on YouTube.
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SEO Tools
The SEO Benefits of Web Scraping
April 6, 2021 • Bill Sebald
In "SEO for Google Shopping," I addressed the need to optimize product feeds. I stated that including keyword product descriptions and titles in the feeds was scalable with "scraping." But I didn't describe it further. In this post, I’ll explain scraping.
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SEO Tools
SEO How-to, Part 12: Technical Tools
August 18, 2020 • Jill Kocher Brown
Implementing a search engine optimization strategy typically requires tools that can be dangerous when mishandled. Knowing those tools — when to use them and how — can make all the difference. This is the 12th and last post in my “SEO How-to” series.
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SEO Tools
SEO: Search Console Is an Untapped Source of Keyword Data
June 5, 2020 • Bill Sebald
Search Console now has more than enough data to return us to the glory days of natural search keyword data. But many businesses are not aware. I’ll explain the Search Console data in this article.
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SEO Tools
Using Google Trends for Ecommerce
July 23, 2019 • Bill Sebald
Google Trends reports the relative popularity of search terms across languages and regions. It's helpful for identifying when consumers start thinking about a product.
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SEO Tools
15 SEO Plugins for WordPress
June 24, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of search-engine-optimization plugins for WordPress. There are all-in-one plugins that provide a variety of tools and, also, plugins to improve specific search-related areas, such as site speed, tags, and image optimization. All of these tools are free, though several have premium versions as well.
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SEO Tools
SEO: 9 Content Optimization Tools
April 5, 2019 • Jill Kocher Brown
Contextual relevance in search engine optimization refers to how the content on a website aligns with searchers' words and phrases. These nine content optimization tools will take you from keyword research to written word to optimized copy.
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SEO Tools
SEO: Using Lighthouse to Improve Site Speed
March 29, 2019 • Jill Kocher Brown
Site speed is tricky for search engine optimization practitioners. It’s a ranking signal for Google and a key factor in a customer's experience. But few SEO pros have the development chops to improve speed. One option is to use Google's Lighthouse, a site auditing tool.
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SEO Tools
3 Tools to Analyze Content for Marketing, SEO
November 14, 2018 • Armando Roggio
A successful content marketing program often begins with creating and maintaining an inventory of every page on your site. There are several ways to conduct a content inventory. In each case, you begin by getting a list of all of the pages. Here are three of the best tools to generate that list.
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SEO Tools
Search Console Is the Gateway to Google’s SEO Data
July 27, 2018 • Jill Kocher Brown
Search Console is Google’s way of communicating with webmasters and search engine optimization professionals about the status of their site within its search results. If you want more information about your site’s natural search performance, Google gives it to you.
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SEO Tools
Indispensable SEO Tools, from Free to Expensive
February 16, 2018 • Jill Kocher Brown
Search engine optimization is rooted in data: technical data, analytical data, and contextual data. The tools you use to access that data fuel your ability to make smart SEO decisions, to keep your performance moving in the right direction. In this post, I'll recommend SEO tools in eight categories. Some of the tools are free or low cost. Others are more expensive, with many more features
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SEO Tools
Optimizing Google Search Options for Android Apps
January 7, 2018 • Jill Kocher Brown
Apps for iOS and Android mobile devices represent a chance to sell to captive prospects — if they can find your app to download in the first place. The first place to start is the Google Play Store, where Android users install apps. Google web search is another opportunity for app search, but most of the optimization focus should be on the Play Store itself.
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SEO Tools
Mobile-first SEO Makes Search Console More Important
October 6, 2017 • Jill Kocher Brown
In 2018, Google will judge your desktop search ranking by the signals from your mobile site. Google’s mobile-first index, the algorithm update that will flip the importance of desktop sites compared ...
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SEO Tools
13 Free Tools to Test Website Speed
January 30, 2017 • Sig Ueland
Regularly testing the speed of your website is a good way to catch bottlenecks and improve the experience of visitors. Here is a list of free tools to test websites. There ...
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SEO Tools
How to Perform a Local, Competitive SEO Analysis
October 19, 2016 • Bill Hartzer
Businesses that rely on local consumers should periodically examine the search engine optimization efforts of their competitors. You’ll see what they’re doing — what you like and dislike — and ...
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SEO Tools
SEO: 22 Tools, Tutorials for Bing
April 24, 2016 • Sig Ueland
If all of your search marketing efforts are on Google, you could be missing out on Bing. It accounts for roughly 20 percent of all U.S. desktop searches, according to ...
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SEO Tools
26 Free SEO Tools for Merchants
March 6, 2016 • Sig Ueland
To optimize your website for search engines, you need a variety of tools to monitor performance and discover opportunities. Fortunately, many of those tools are free. Here is a list of ...
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SEO Tools
For SEO Time Travel, Use Wayback Machine
February 21, 2016 • Jill Kocher Brown
Which pages your site promotes as the most important is critical for search engine optimization. Remembering the details of past internal linking structures is impossible, unless you use the Wayback Machine ...
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SEO Tools
6 Free Android Apps for SEO
January 8, 2016 • Jill Kocher Brown
Put your Android phone to work for search engine optimization. These free Android apps will help you monitor your SEO performance and add critical insights in meetings, when you’re away ...